Quest for Lost Heroes (29 page)

'Her name is Ravenna. She is the most beautiful . . .' He stumbled to a halt and found himself staring into her eyes. In that moment he realised that Ravenna could never be called beautiful, not when compared with the woman before him. He felt like a traitor even to think such thoughts. 'She is ... I think she is ... beautiful,' he stammered, at last.

'You are riding with the heroes of Bel-azar?' she asked. Her words sent a cold chill through him. For a moment only he hesitated, considering the lie.

'Yes,' he answered.

She nodded. 'It is always better to be truthful with me, Kiall,' she told him, taking his arm and leading him back to the divan. With a wave of her hand she dismissed Harokas; leaving Kiall standing, she stretched herself out on the couch, her head resting on a blue silk-covered cushion. 'Tell me of the heroes,' she said.

'What would you have me say? They are strong men, courageous, skilful in the ways of war.'

'And why would they be interested in this . . . this girl?'

'Merely to see her safe and restored to her . . . loved ones.'

'And you are a loved one?'

'No. Well . . . yes.'

'Is it no or yes? Sit by me and explain it.' He perched on the edge of the divan, feeling the warmth of her leg against his. He cleared his throat and told her of his love for Ravenna and her decision to marry the farmer Jarel.

'I don't blame her. She was right, of course. I was . . . am a dreamer.'

'And you have no other woman?' she asked.

'No.'

'No stolen kisses in high meadows, no soft touches during secret trysts?'

'No.'

She moved up to sit alongside him, her arm draped over his shoulder. 'One last question, Kiall, and be sure to answer it honestly. Much depends on it. This quest of yours - have you told me the whole truth? All you seek is the girl, Ravenna?'

'I have told you the whole truth,' he said. 'I swear it.'

For several seconds she looked into his eyes, then she nodded and smiled. Her hand slipped from his shoulder and she replaced the small dagger in its hiding place behind the cushion.

'Very well, I will consider what you have said. But I make no promises. Go out into the square and find Harokas. He will see that you are fed.' He rose and bowed awkwardly. As he turned to leave, she suddenly spoke. 'Tell me, Kiall, do you trust me?'

'I would like to, my lady. It ought to be that a man could put his faith in beauty.'

She rose smoothly and moved in to him, her body pressing against him, her arms on his shoulders and her mouth only inches from his. 'And can you put your faith in beauty?'

'No,' he whispered.

'You are quite correct. Go now.'

'I am growing tired of sitting up here,' declared Beltzer. 'What is he doing? Why does he not signal?'

'He has met the leader,' said Okas, moving in to sit by Beltzer. 'It was interesting meeting.' The old man chuckled. 'It will be more interesting yet.'

'Why?' asked Chareos. 'Who is he?'

'It is not a he, Blademaster. It is a she.'

'Then he is in no danger at present?' enquired Chareos. The smile faded from Okas' face.

'Of that I am not certain. There was a moment when he spoke with her when his danger was great. I felt she would kill him. But something stayed her hand.'

'We shouldn't have sent him,' said Maggrig. 'He does not have the experience.'

'Not so,' said Okas, 'I believe it is lack of experience which keeps him alive down there. The woman is hard, very hard. But, whatever else, she finds Kiall ... of interest.'

'She wants him in her bed, is that what you're saying?' put in Beltzer.

'Perhaps; she is certainly a predatory woman and it is often the way that such people find innocence attractive. But there is more, I can feel it. She questioned him about all of you.'

'And he told her?' Beltzer hissed.

'He did. That is what, I believe, saved his life.'

'But if she is the leader,' said Chareos, 'then it is she who has been sending out the hunters to kill us.'

'Exactly,' replied Okas. 'Curious, is it not?'

'There is something missing here,' said Chareos.

'Yes,' Okas agreed. 'There is something else also. There is a man in the settlement who saved Kiall. His name is Harokas and he told Kiall he wishes to talk with you, Chareos.'

'Harokas? The name is not familiar to me.'

'He says he has a message from the Earl, whatever that may mean.'

'Nothing good, I'll wager,' muttered Beltzer. 'So, what do we do?'

'We wait,' said Chareos.

'She could have armed men moving in on us,' argued Beltzer.

'Indeed she could,' agreed Chareos. 'Even so - we wait.'

*

'I do not know why you are still alive, farm boy,' said Harokas, as he and Kiall sat at a bench table in the crowded eating-house. 'Tanaki is not usually so gentle with enemies.'

'I am not her enemy,' Kiall told him, spooning the last of the hot broth to his mouth.

'Are you not?'

'Why should I be?'

'It was here that your beloved was dragged to the auction block. Does that not make you angry?'

Kiall sat back and stared into the cold eyes of the scarred man. 'Yes, it does. Are you saying it was . . . Tanaki . . . who led the raid?'

'No,' answered Harokas. 'Tanaki merely controls the auctions. Nadren raiders travel here from all over the Steppes. You should see this place at market time; it's a revelation.'

'I still do not understand how an Earl's man is welcome here,' said Kiall.

Harokas chuckled. 'That is because you do not . . . yet . . . understand the ways of the world. But I see no harm in instructing you. You will learn soon enough. You know, of course, that the Lord Regent outlawed the slave trade a decade ago?'

'Yes. And ended the serf laws. It was good policy.'

'That depends on your viewpoint. If you were a slave or a serf, indeed yes. But not if you were a nobleman. The wealth of the nobility used to depend on land. Not any more - not with the fear of Nadir invasion. Crops bring profits, to be sure, but then the Gothir lands are rich and food is cheap. No, the real profit was always in slaves. The Lord Regent did not take this into account with his new laws. Are you beginning to understand me?'

'No,' admitted Kiall.

'So slow? I took you for an intelligent man - but then you are also a romantic and that must cloud your reason.' Harokas leaned forward. 'The nobility never gave up the trade; they merely found another way of continuing. The raid on your village was sanctioned by the Earl. He takes a share of the profits and I am here to make sure his share is just.'

Kiall felt the taste of bile in his mouth. He swallowed hard and took a sip of the ale Harokas had purchased. 'We pay him taxes. We look to him for protection. And he sells us out to line his pockets?'

'It is not a nice world, is it, farm boy?'

'Why tell me this? Why?'

Harokas shrugged. 'Why not? Your chances of leaving here alive are negligible. And anyway, perhaps I am sick of it too.' He rubbed his eyes. 'I am getting old. There was a time when I believed in heroes - when I was young, like you. But there are no heroes - at least not the ones we want to see. Every man has his own reason for every deed. Usually it is selfish. Take your friends. Why are they with you? You think they care about Ravenna? No, they seek to recapture lost glories, lost youth. They want to hear their names in song again.'

'I do not believe that,' said Kiall. 'Chareos and the others have risked their lives for me - and for Ravenna. And you cheapen them, merely by speaking their names. Thank you for the meal.'

Kiall rose and left the table. The air outside was crisp and fresh, and he strode to the battlements. The two sentries ignored him as he gazed out over the land. He did not look in the direction of the camp, but waited until the voice of Okas sounded in his mind.

'What do you have to tell us?' asked Okas.

'Nothing,' replied Kiall. 'Tell Chareos not to come to the wall. I am waiting to see the woman, Tanaki.'

'Be careful in her company. She has killed before, and will kill again.'

'I will be careful. But she . . . disturbs me.'

He felt Okas drift from him and returned to the central square. The auction platform was large, supported by six piers of round stone. He pictured Ravenna standing upon it, surrounded by Nadir men ogling her, desiring her. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine her. But all he could see were the eyes of Tanaki, wide and slanted.

A man tapped his shoulder, making him jump.

'I thought it was you,' said Chellin. For a moment Kiall did not recognise the stocky warrior, then he smiled.

'You are a long way from the mountains, Chellin. I am pleased to see you made it safely.'

The man sat down on a bench seat and scratched at his black and silver beard. 'It wasn't easy. You came a long way. How are your friends?'

'Alive,' answered Kiall.

'No mean feat, considering the number of men sent out to kill them.'

'I'm glad you were not with them,' said Kiall.

'I was. We got back this morning. Still, with luck you'll sort out your difference with the Princess and we won't have to meet on a battlefield.'

The Princess?'

'Tanaki. Did you not know she was Nadir royalty?'

'No, I did not.'

'She's the youngest child of Tenaka Khan.'

'What is she doing here?' asked Kiall, amazed.

Chellin laughed. 'You don't know much about the Nadir, do you? To them women are nothing, worth less than horses. Tanaki had some sort of falling out with her brother, Jungir; he had her banished here.'

'She is very beautiful,' said Kiall.

'She is that - and the most desirable piece I ever saw. A man could die happy if he bedded her.'

Kiall reddened and cleared his throat. 'Where will you go from here?" he asked.

Chellin shrugged. 'Who knows? North again. Maybe not. I'm tired of this life, Kiall. I may head south, to Drenai lands. Buy a farm, raise a family.'

'And have raiders descend on you to steal your daughters?'

Chellin nodded and sighed. 'Yes. Like all dreams, it doesn't bear close examination. I hope matters work well with you and the Princess. I like you; I hope they don't ask me to kill you.' Chellin rose and wandered away but Kiall sat where he was for another hour. Then a warrior came seeking him.

'You are wanted,' said the man. Kiall stood and followed him back to the long hall.

Tanaki waited, as before, on the divan. She was dressed now in a short tunic of white linen, her legs and feet bare. She wore no jewellery or ornament, save for the silver buckle on her wide black belt.

As he approached she rose. 'Welcome to my hearth, Kiall. Sit and talk with me.'

'What would you have me say, lady?'

'Very little. Just give me a compelling reason why I should not have you killed.'

'Do you kill for no reason?' he asked.

'Sometimes,' she told him. 'Is that so surprising?'

'I am becoming inured to surprises, Princess. Tell me, will you help me find Ravenna?'

She took his hand and led him to the divan, sitting beside him with her arm resting on his shoulder. 'I am not sure that I will. You know I sent men out to kill you?'

'Yes,' he whispered, aware of her breath warm on his cheek and neck.

'I did that because I heard that a group of heroes was riding out to revenge a raid. I thought you were coming to kill me.'

'That was never our intention.'

'And then I find a tall, handsome young innocent, seeking a woman who does not care for him. This man intrigues me.' Her lips touched his neck and her right hand moved across his chest, sliding down over the tense muscles of his stomach. His face felt hot, his breathing shallow. 'And I wondered,' she went on, her voice low and dreamy, 'how it was that a man who has never known love could risk so much.' Her hand slid lower.

His fingers clamped to her wrist. 'Do not toy with me, lady,' he whispered, turning in towards her. 'You know that I find your beauty . . . irresistible. But I have little . . . self-worth as it is. Just tell me where Ravenna is - and let me leave you.'

For some time she held his gaze, then she pulled back. 'How delightfully you turn me away - not with strength, but with admitted weakness. You put the decision in my hands. Very well, Kiall. But you do not wish to know where she is. I mean that, almost tenderly. I asked you to trust me this morning and now I ask it again. Leave this quest, and return to your home.'

'I cannot, lady.'

'You will die. Your friends will die. And it will be for nothing.'

He lifted her hand and gently kissed the palm. 'Then that is as it must be. But tell me.'

She sat up. 'The girl Ravenna was bought by a man named Kubai. She was sent to a city not far from here and given as a gift to another man. Then she was taken far across the Steppes to Ulrickham.'